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Hi I'm Cathryn

I'm a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy. I like to be loud. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

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I don't follow the path of a typical Mormon girl. I like to get muddy, I like to test my physical limits, I like to fight, I like to get yelled at and I like to yell back. I have wanted to be an officer in the United States Marine Corps my whole life, and I am working toward that dream as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy. Lucky for me, my affinity for being wild is fully satisfied here. I run with the marathon team and take my plebes (freshmen) on adventures. I am majoring in Operations Research (it's like math) and minoring in Arabic. Currently I am taking a break to serve a full-time mission in the Russia Rostov na Danu mission.
I fit no stereotype. Someday I hope to be a smiling mother with a bunch of kids and a killer jello casserole recipe. But for now, I live rough. But it is not the dirt, the pushups, or the fights that define me. I am a Mormon.

Why I am a Mormon

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I am not a Mormon because my parents tell me to be. I grew up attending church, but I continue to without external prompting. I continue in my faith because of my faith.
I am a religious person because I need to know the answers to "Life's Important Questions" and I need the structure in my life. I am a Mormon because I believe wholeheartedly that the Gospel provides the most true version of those answers.

How I live my faith

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My family converted when I was three into a congregation of about 150 in a town of 50,000. I was usually the odd modest one out, or part of the odd sabbath-keepers group, or the girl who is going to get married in a castle at age 16 to a man who already has five wives. I live my faith by being an example. I stick to my principals and I correct misunderstandings like the castle one. As an outgoing person, I have never been afraid to tell someone that they are wrong.
At the Naval Academy my dedication has been tested by the rigorous demands on my time, but I have built a testimony of the gospel by continuing to attend church on Sundays, reading my scriptures every day, and praying constantly.
When the Lord changed the age requirements for missionaries I was beyond overjoyed. Due to technicalities in serving a mission from the Naval Academy I would not have been able to serve before this change. However, now I plan on going on a mission after my "Youngster" (sophomore) year. I will be the first female from the Naval Academy to serve and return.

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

Cathryn

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By some definitions, Mormonism is a cult. A cult can be a group of people who strongly venerate a particular figure. Mormons, like all Christians, are completely devoted to Heavenly Father and his son, Jesus Christ.
A cult is usually viewed as a "strange religion." 1 Peter 2:9 admonishes the early Church to be a "peculiar people." The only thing that makes Mormonism strange is a lack of familiarity with it. Is being in a secretive fraternity being in a cult?
The word "cult" connotes kool-aide laced with rat poison, sacrificing babies, and selling all worldly possessions to await the end of the word in an overcrowded hen house in central Texas. However, if that connotation is removed, the word cult simply means a peculiar people who are devoted to God. Synonyms of cult include worship, religion, and adoration.
Some call Mormonism a cult because they lack knowledge and they believe that anything unknown must include sacrificing babies, drinking kool-aide, and fleeing to a secret bunker to brace for the end of the world.
But that is not true.
Some call Mormonism a cult because it has all the positive characteristics of one; uninfluenced by the history of other cults.
Is being a "cult" such a bad thing?Show moreShow less